A moving and funny story about sisters, secrets and second chances.
Twin sisters Beth and Lisa do everything together, so what will happen now they both want a life of their own?
Beth has a secret she's kept from everyone except her sister. But it's time to get on with her life. Could a seductive Italian, a smooth-talking charmer or backpacking around Australia be the answer?
Lisa feels she's always lived in her sister's shadow. Maybe now it's her turn for some fun, whatever the consequences. But will her drunken antics land Beth in trouble?
And when it comes to the crunch, will one sister have to give up what she wants so the other can have what she needs?
Another entertaining page-turner from the No.1 bestselling author of Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? – where things, and people, are not always as they first appear!
Sue Shepherd's debut novel 'Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret?' was published by Corazon Books in March 2015. It reached the top 10 UK Kindle chart, and also topped the romantic comedy, contemporary romance and humour charts.
Sue wrote two more romantic comedy novels for Corazon Books before switching to crime writing. Her suspense novels - 'The Sandlin PI Series' are published by Hobeck Books and are published under the name S E Shepherd.
Sue lives on the picturesque Isle of Wight with her husband, two sons, a standard poodle named Forrest and a Cavachon called Sky. Her passions in life are: her family, writing, the sea-side and all the beautiful purple things her sons have bought her over the years. Ask Sue to plan too far in advance and you'll give her the heebie-jeebies and she'd prefer you not to mention Christmas until at least November!
Beth and Lisa are very much opposites. Beth is the sensible one while Lisa is out going and wants to have fun. Lisa doesn’t always have Beth’s interests in heart causing Beth a few problems to say the least.
Through Beth’s life as she grows as a person and into adulthood, the author tackles quite a few topics that I am sure will be close to many readers hearts. At times, like Lisa, I wanted to give Beth a good shake. She is somewhat of a doormat at times and it frustrated me seeing her go through the things she does. This is what makes this book so much more realistic, in that life isn’t all romance and flowers and the readers will certainly have a lot of empathy for Beth and her family.
Due to the nature of the story, it really is quite difficult to go into to much detail as I don’t want to give to much away. It certainly took me by surprise as whilst it is a fun and entertaining read, there is very much a sombre side to it which at times had me reduced to tears.
Can’t Get You Out Of My Head was quite an emotional roller coaster of a read. The author really has you going through a whole array of emotions that I really hadn’t expected. The wonderful Nanna will have you reminiscing of the special bond that only a grandchild and grandparent can have. Through Beth and her family, I was totally lost to what was going on in the real world as I was totally engrossed to what was going on in the pages in front of me. A fabulously endearing and engaging read that I didn’t want to stop.
I honestly don't know what I think of this book, the whole premise which I can't really talk about as it may be a massive spoiler, despite it being revealed relatively early on - is something I'm really unsure about, and not completely convinced I believe is feasible.
However putting that aside I appeared to be hooked on the book, I had no idea where I was on the tube while reading, and completely lost myself into the heart of the story.
Which to me means that the writing was excellent, there was plenty of engrossing plot, there were many highs and lows and all of the supplementary characters were incredibly believable and relate able to.
This is a book that takes place over many years from Beth and Lisa's childhood onwards. For twins they are completely different but also as close as anything, which makes their conversations quite enjoyable.
Definitely a book that will get you thinking and it tackles a few tough issues too. Certainly a story you need to go into with an open mind, and to get the most from you may if you are like me suspend reality while you read it, just to be able to go with the flow.
Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Ever since I heard the title of this book I've had an earworm! Take another look at the title.. . .🎵🎵 Can't get you out of my head 🎵🎵 La La La, La La La La La 🎵🎵 Whoops, sorry, are you singing it now? 😂
I read Love Them And Leave Them by Sue Shepherd last year and I loved it so I couldn't wait to get stuck into this one.
Beth and Lisa are twins and they're inseparable. They do everything together and they tell each other everything. Beth feels that it's time to get on with her own life but why is it so difficult for her to distance herself from Lisa? After Beth has an encounter with a young Italian boy named Mario, their loving Nanna suggests the girls take some time out and they head off to the other side of the world with their childhood friend Michelle. It's not long before they meet a group of friendly lads and one of them seems to take a shine to Beth.
Once they are back home Beth is ready to find her feet, get a job and take the step from being a carefree teenager to responsible adult, but Lisa has other ideas. She isn't ready to settle down and is more than happy to carry on partying, getting drunk and she tries to encourage Beth to do the same. When a face from the past arrives on their doorstep it could change the future for both Beth and Lisa.
I don't want to say anything else about the story, not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I don't want to accidentally give anything away.
Can't Get You Out of My Head is a story about the close relationship between siblings and families. Twin sisters Beth and Lisa felt real to me and I went through a whole myriad of emotions with them both. One minute I would be feeling sorry for Beth and her circumstances whilst being angry at Lisa for being so heartless but the next minute Lisa would have all of my sympathy and I'd think that Beth was being a heartless bitch. I must admit that I had a genuine soft spot for Nanna and she reminded me of my own nan, always there to offer support, baking and coming out with funny phrases and comments. Creating such believable characters, I think, shows what a talented writer Sue Shepherd is. I wanted to be there for all of them, I laughed with them and cried with them and I even got angry on their behalf and it's not that often that I get quite so emotionally involved.
Although at first glance, this might appear to be a light and frothy romantic comedy, don't be fooled, it's a story that has hidden depths. I absolutely loved every page and I honestly can't get it out of my head!
This book was not at all what I expected! I’m typical for reading girly books about two people falling in love and it’s probably my own fault for not reading reviews or properly looking at the blurb but from the title I just assumed it would about someone falling in love and being unable to get them out of their head. Although I was very wrong, I really enjoyed this book and was pretty addicted to it! Without giving too much away, I was so intrigued by the relationship between the sisters and was really quite fascinated by them and how different they were. I also had recently arrived in Australia when I read this book so it was nice to also be reading about someone travelling in Australia while doing it myself!
A moving and funny story about sisters, secrets and second chances.
Twin sisters Beth and Lisa do everything together, so what will happen now they both want a life of their own?
Beth has a secret she's kept from everyone except her sister. But it's time to get on with her life. Could a seductive Italian, a smooth-talking charmer or backpacking around Australia be the answer?
Lisa feels she's always lived in her sister's shadow. Maybe now it's her turn for some fun, whatever the consequences. But will her drunken antics land Beth in trouble?
And when it comes to the crunch, will one sister have to give up what she wants so the other can have what she needs?
Another entertaining page-turner from the No.1 bestselling author of Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? – where things, and people, are not always as they first appear!
My Review
Twin sisters Beth and Lisa could not be more different, Beth is pretty much meek, a people pleaser and relatively submissive. Lisa is opinionated, forth right, will seize the day at any given opportunity and life and soul of any party given half a chance. We open with the girls as children then flip to adulthood, the frustrations sisters endure that we all know too well and maybe a few new ones too!
This is a pretty unique read and can I just say until I checked Amazon for the pages count (I always add that) I can't believe the book is 450 pages it certainly didn't seem that long! I would have read it a lot quicker if life didn't get in my way.
I always write non spoiler reviews, seriously what book "lover" does that and ruins a book for other readers, ugh. Anyways, certain things are hard to discuss because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Relationships are at the heart of the story, mostly centred around Beth, Lisa and their family, boyfriends and friends. Sibling relationships can be a nitemare the girls provide a fresh take on the old sibling rivalry. There is humour in some of the scenes and some heart wrenching moments too, love, loss, life, personal growth, self discovery and I feel like I am harping on but relationships/family are everything with this tale. Someone you love making you second guess yourself, manipulating, scathing and yet the sisters are so close.
I think we all have a relationship or know someone who has someone like that in their life. I went through periods of mixed feelings for both Beth and Lisa. Like, hate, dislike, sadness and it is hard to say why in any great detail. Beth is very doormat like, I just wanted her to have a backbone and rise up, I felt so sorry for her at times though and frustrated on her behalf. Lisa I disliked quite quickly but as the story progresses I flip flopped a bit there too. As we learn more about the characters and what they have experienced/endured you can't help but reevaluate your feelings and ideas about them both.
It is a story that flings curve balls that you really don't see coming. You are pulled in quickly with a childhood incident and then wonder what is coming next, where is the story going. As Shepherd teases out the details you are absorbed in their world before you realise you are a quarter of the way through the book and the rug has been pulled again. 4/5 stars for me this time, I can't believe this is my first dance with this author but it certainly won't be my last!
I’d deliberately avoided reading any of the reviews of this one, so the story came as a real surprise to me, and wasn’t what I’d expected at all – but I’ve never had a problem suspending disbelief, and I found the premise of the story highly original, so well executed and… well, just fascinating!
This is the story of twin sisters – Beth is the cautious one, Lisa the brave and reckless one – their relationship, their day-to-day lives and their adventures, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess many of us are fascinated by the relationship between twins – particularly when their characters are so very different, and the author captures and demonstrates their relationship quite wonderfully. Beth’s a little bit of a doormat really, but her life experience has rather made her that way – such sadness, and so very well handled as a young and naive girl makes all the mistakes they often do, but perhaps without such far-reaching consequences. Mistakes and errors of judgement follow thick and fast – and mouthy Lisa is always there to let her know what she thinks about Beth’s choices. I loved the exchanges between them – I loved their whole relationship really – and the author has a wonderful gift for sparky dialogue and observation that often makes you laugh out loud.
But it’s not comedy all the way – significant issues dog their path through life, real and sometimes disturbing, and the balance is well maintained. It’s not all about the twins either – there are other relationships too, partners, friends and family, and so well drawn. I particularly loved their Nanna – what a wonderful character – and the exceptional warmth of her relationship with the twins. (And Charlie – but who wouldn’t?)
The development of the story is so clever – this is a book that’s stayed with me for days after reading – and its ending is unexpected, heartbreaking and joyful, and totally inspired. I really should mention that the book was rather longer than I was expecting – be prepared! – but the pages really did turn very easily, the writing is excellent, and I really did thoroughly enjoy it. Go on – give it a try…
It took me a while to get into this story and when the first twist was revealed I didn't really feel like reading on .Story revolves around a set of twins with a very very big difference but story focuses on mainly one of them ( you will learn more once you start reading ). It's a story of travelling , friendships family and love .I enjoyed the story and all the highs and lows , the heartache and tough decisions .I can't really say why I didn't give it a higher star rating without spoiling the main part of the story so although I only gave it that rating I felt it could have been a bit better thought out as far as the other 'twin ' was concerned .
I didn't really like this book and wouldn't recommend it. Often the writing seemed childlike and I found myself skimming pages. I only finished it because I never stop reading until the end even if bored.
I did not like the main character at all, she was immature and annoying and none of the characters had any substance, like when you watch a film based on a book and the characters look different to what you expected, well I had no mental pictures of any of these characters.
The story was far fetched but that wasn't the issue for me, I read a lot and reality is not important for me in a book.
Wonderful and surprising Can’t get who out of your mind? My first reaction to Can’t Get You out of My Mind was incredulity — my second — being intrigued. Shepherd has written a beautiful and thoughtful novel that remains with the reader for a long time. The concept is simple: the result is a speculative narrative. Shepherd engages her readers and makes them root for her heroine. A highly enjoyable book.
An interesting premise that I wasn't expecting. I felt like the end was rushed and there were a couple of parts that dragged on (had they been cut, maybe the end could have got the attention it deserved) but overall a solid page turner especially when you got to the good parts.